Bionicle: The Core War
by 621Chopsuey
Summary: The Core War has broken out, and the Ice Tribe seems to have the upper hand. The Fire tribe retaliates, but a double agent has left them defeated. Who is he, what does he want? CURRENTLY ON HIATUS DUE TO WRITER'S BLOCK
1. Equals and Opposites

_A/N: Bionicle is the property of the LEGO Company_

**THE CORE WAR: Equals and Opposites**

**Fire Tribe Camp – Day**

To only the main army, the headquarters of the Fire Tribe was closed to any unauthorized personnel. But for the high ranking combatants, the main session of the day was in progress. Inside the tent, the commanders were plotting a way to throw the Ice Tribe off balance to gain the upper hand in this Core War.

Inside the tent, only a few object were inside: a few chairs, several shelves, and a couple of tables. On one of these dimly lit tables was an aged sheet of parchment. Ackar and Malum studied the parchment map intensively. In this myriad of doodles and sketches, the entire area within the Fire and Ice Camps was mapped with great detail.

Ackar aimed his finger at a particular spot on the map. As his finger traced it, Ackar spoke to Malum. "According to our scouts, this river is undefended, particularly due to the fact it is too narrow and too shallow for boats to pass by."

Malum added, "And they didn't think of a foot-based invasion?"

Ackar nodded. "Then you have the plan all figured out?"

"We have a small number invade through the stream, take out any defenders that cross us, and take the tower as our own." Malum crossed his arms proudly. "I always knew there were some good brains in that helmet of yours."

"Very good soldier indeed," said Ackar. He paused as he rolled p the parchment map. He then placed the delicate doodle into a pouch over his shoulder and continued. "Come. If you are to lead this mission, you'll need to familiarize yourself with your teammates." He motioned and Malum followed into the desert heat.

They ventured out to an isolated area beyond the camp, where a group of figures were in the midst of a mock battle. On one side, a member of the Sand Tribe with a sword and a Bone Hunter with a crossbow were on the defensive, taking some cover behind a half-buried boulder. On the other were two members of the Fire Tribe, one of them an Agori with a fire staff and the other a red-and-black warrior with twin chakrams. These two were tiring the others quickly with determination.

Malum started forward, but Ackar stuck an arm out. "Wait," he said. Malum obeyed and observed.

The one with the chakrams tossed his spiked disks onward at the tan-hued opponent. The other responded with a leap and a flip, both simultaneous to deflecting the chakrams back at red-and-black. He then charged and swung his tail with enough force to knock red-and-black to the ground.

As this occurred, the Bone Hunter and the Fire Agori merely tossed their weapons and wrestled one another, until both were shrouded in a cloud of dust.

Ackar ended his moments of lingering and calmed the heated battle. The Sand Tribe member backed off and offered a hand to the chakram wielder. He took it and was hoisted up. Malum joined the rest of the group, along with other members who were observing the scuffle.

"Malum," Ackar said, "I'd like you to meet our squad mates."

The Bone Hunter saluted. "My comrades call me Bandit."

The Sand nomad saluted with his tail. "I am known by my clan name: Vorox."

The Fire Agori followed. "Cortesius, sir."

Then the chakram warrior reported. "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

Cortesius thumbed at Axel. "That's his nickname."

Malum closely examined the four troops. Each had his own quality that made him a part of the team, and in return, made the team and its faction successful in battle. After several minutes of questioning and discussion, Malum spoke to his squad. "Follow me to the officers' tent. We'll elaborate the battle that is yet to come.

As the quintet departed, Ackar noticed someone jogging in his direction from the low ridge bordering the camp. A closer look revealed it to be Perditus, a cocky hotshot of a pilot. Ackar was not familiar with Perditus personally, but was knew him by his piloting skills and his youthful rashness and boldness.

Ackar knew what was to happen. So he mentally prepared himself and awaited the pilot.

**Ice Tribe Outpost – Dusk**

Surel sat crisscrossed on the floor, meditating alongside Certavus. Unlike Certavus, who was serene, calm, organized, and collected, Surel was somewhat uncomfortable and anxious. Certavus always scolded him for that, but the Wise One was once youthful and full of energy in the past. So Certavus the Wise was patient with Surel.

Surel's thoughts drifted. Right now he saw six elements. He knew these as Ice, Fire, Water, Jungle, Rock, and Sand. They were in crystals, whose light was draining, dulling with time. Then he watched as they suddenly intensified in brightness and merged into one, gleaming gem. It was a fascinating, beautiful, yet terrifying image that slammed into his mind like a rabid rock steed.

Surel gasped and opened his eyes forcefully. He panted and turned to see Certavus gazing at him. The wise, elder warrior laid a hand on his pupil's shoulder with gentleness. "What is it," he asked with a hint of anxiety, "What did you see?"

Surel regained his composer in a moment's time and, with some shakiness in his voice, answered. "I . . . I saw gems. Brightly lit gems that dulled, then intensified in light at seemed to consume me. Then it all went black, as if shadow had overtaken me next."

Certavus pondered upon those words. _What omen could this be? What could it possibly represent? An era of peace, then immense chaos? What?_ His thoughts wavered when a knock on the chamber door sounded. Master and student rose. "Come in," said Certavus.

A member of the warrior species entered with a role of parchment, wearing mostly white armor with hints of bluish-silver. He had a two-handed sword strapped to his back and wore a spiked helmet, greaves and shoulder armor. "This just in from the scouts, Commander," he said, "Apparently, the flaming natives have made camp near the ridged gorge southeast of our position." He then handed the rolled-up writing to Certavus.

The Commander unrolled it and gazed upon its contents. Yes, indeed they had camped at the ridged gorge, possibly to attempt an ambush or another hidden attack. He looked up at Spike. "How many did we lose?"

"All but one of the Agori, sir," said Spike solemnly, "The hotheads, then the Bone Hunters caught up to them." Then the messenger grinned ever so slightly, partly to Surel's act of overlooking his teacher's shoulder, partly due to the next sentence he was about to speak. "But they think the scouts are all dead, which gives us an advantage."

Surel had finished his idle reading and faced his two comrades. He crossed his arms, one of which stroked his chin in a let-me-think-about-this manner. "We could have snipers set around a vulnerable point around the outpost, or we could just meet them ahead and prevent losses here."

Spike and Surel faced Certavus, eager for an answer. The Wise One paused for a few beats. "I suggest we engage them here," he said, "We know this area, they don't, and we most likely have more armory than them."

Surel spoke to Certavus, "I'll get the defenses up and running, Master." The teacher waved him off and the apprentice walked off to fulfill his command.

Then Certavus laid a hand on Spike's shoulder. "Son of the Ice Lord, brother, are you ready to face the fire?"

Spike returned the same gesture. "We shall face it with a frosty welcome."

**Ice Tribe Perimeter – Nightfall**

Ackar led the squad on the shallow, narrow stream that branched alongside and into the Ice Tribe outpost. Behind him, Malum, Bandit, Vorox, Axel, and Cortesius ventured and followed the commander. As he kept himself inconspicuous, he thought of the conversation he had with Perditus mere hours before the operation.

He recalled the pilot approaching him, asking as he caught his breath, "Ackar . . . I wanted to ask you . . . permission . . . to join the operation to the outpost."

Ackar merely said "No." In return, he ended up getting another question.

"Why?"

"You are a rash driver," Ackar said, "Your reflexes are as fast as your vehicle, but your wit is slower than that. You must think. 'Am I prepared for this?' You are not, and I cannot afford a young and innocent soul being swiped into the void like a small flame. Do you understand me, Perditus?"

"Y-Yes, Ackar," Perditus replied. Then the pilot walked off. Ackar swore he saw the driver grin and cross his fingers. That meant something, as usual, rash was to occur. He dreaded the feeling in his gut, telling him that this wasn't to go well.

Axel tapped Ackar's shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, you alright?" he asked.

Ackar shook his head and came back to reality. Then the red-hued warrior comprehended his actions. He didn't realize he was halting the progress of the night op, as he was simply crouching in the shallow mud stream, eyes defocused and blankly staring at the path ahead of them.

"Yes," Ackar replied, then continued on the stream's path to the Ice Outpost. They traversed for some time until Ackar and Malum halted the party at a low barrier.

"We are here," said Malum. He edged ahead of Ackar and Axel to scout the area. Bandit and Vorox followed. Ackar, Axel, and Cortesius stayed behind and waited for Malum to confirm it was safe to continue. As they squatted in the mud, they listened to the clicks and chirps of the scarabax beetles and felt the gentle breeze blow on their backs.

Cortesius seemed annoyed when Ackar turned to face his comrades. The Agori was to mention a complaint, but Axel held his hand to the villager's mouth as a shrill whistling sound came about. Then the noise of metal striking metal and a cry of pain sounded.

"Bandit!" cried a voice.

Ackar stood up and quickly pulled out his sword. "Go! Go! Go!" he commanded. The trio rushed to aid their allies in the freshly-begotten battlefield.

Spike shifted his crossbow and watched the arrow plow through the Bone Hunter's head. The member of the Sand Tribe, who was beside the victim, cried out and grabbed his comrade's body. Several Ice Tribe warriors burst out of the double doors that led into the sanctum of the outpost. From the top level of the tower, Spike thought of this as entertainment. He felt the adrenaline pumping as he began to enjoy his sniping job.

He continued to watch as the sandman, his personal nickname for the Sand Tribe, quickly fell to the wave of warriors. Then the large red figure Spike identified as Malum was joined by three more beings, two warriors and an Agori.

_This is their strike team?_ he thought, _The hotheads must be desperate for our outpost to fall._ Spike was somewhat bewildered at the small force that attempted to take the dominating structure. It was always a puzzle to wonder why six soldiers, four from the Fire Tribe and two of them from different tribes, were attacking a well defended citadel.

Spike then had two options flowing in his mind: He could join his frosted brethren and quickly eliminate these pathetic, yet courageous, invaders. Or he could watch from this here tower and observe without getting his hands dirty, and let the rest of the troops take them out. Either way, these mortal fools might as well die sooner or later.

Certavus's officer decided to kill of the lackeys and get this pointless skirmish over with. Spike ran down the flight of stairs to the next lower window. He laid one foot on the ledge, the other in the citadel, and aimed his crossbow at Malum. His finger slowly squeezed the trigger. Then he felt his foot slip. Spike cursed as his abdomen slammed into the ledge, then fell a couple stories onto the dirt below. The warrior lay stunned, unable to move for minutes.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ He screamed at himself in his mind. His wooden crossbow was shattered, and the wrist gaunt he wore wasn't functioning. Spike clenched his fist over and over to get the thing working, until the blade finally ejected. Then a foot landed on Spike's hand.

He grunted and felt a spasm of flared nerves surge. The foot then moved itself to the ground. Spike looked up at the owner of the foot with difficulty. He looked into the green eyes of a warrior with red and black armor, holding twin chakrams and wearing a spiked helmet.

"Hello, Spike," Axel said casually, "Nice day to have a scuffle, eh?" Axel then took one of his chakrams and rammed it Spike. The Ice warrior deflected the weapon with his own and leapt up to his feet, the pain quickly subsiding to nothingness.

"Axel, you're still alive and well," Spike mocked, "Fitting for a coward."

"So you _do_ remember me this time. I'm SO FLATTERED!" retorted Axel. Then, without warning, the fire soldier stabbed his chakram into Spike's chest. As the Ice warrior stood there, frozen with shock, the circular tool of death had embedded itself halfway into his chest. Axel then grabbed Spike by the necked and popped it just like that; cool, clean, and without hesitation.

Spike's limp body fell to the dust in a heap. Axel plucked his chakram out of the corpse and turned away to rejoin Ackar and the others.

Malum had Surel on the ground. He had lost one of his claw tools and a shoulder plate. Surel had most of his leg armor shredded and creating a hellish world for the apprentice to Certavus. Malum rose his remaining claw tool up to strike down the defenseless soldier, when Surel threw his dagger into Malum's ankle. The hefty warrior collapsed and clutched at his foot.

Surel jabbed a fist at Malum's face and swiped his dagger, then limped away from the enraged being. Malum slowly got up and limped to Cortesius. Cortesius had a bit of arrow stuck in his armor at the shoulder. Strangely, this didn't seem to bother the Agori.

Malum got to his back and defended the small figure.

"How are we doing so far?" Cortesius asked, "I've been fighting for over ten minutes now and I can't tell if it's our battle."

Malum pondered as he struck down a sleek-armored ice warrior wielding a battle axe. _Vorox, Bandit, both are gone. Axel is nowhere to be found, probably on his own agenda. Ackar is occupied on the other side of the citadel. All the while, we have five warriors for each of us to handle. Are we going to make it through this?_

A rumbling noise of twin engines rose from the dust fields close to the citadel. The warriors in the area slowed and stopped, wondering what this was. Malum squinted to make out the dark shape in the darkness. Then he realized who it was. His eyes widened with horror.

"Get down!" he commanded.

A Thornatus, painted with gold and black chevrons, zoomed in and plowed through the ranks of Ice Tribe warriors. The driver zipped pass Cortesius and Malum with incredible speed and made several doughnuts in the sand before stopping to a halt. The pilot leapt out and jogged up to Malum and Cortesius.

"Perditus, you fool!" Malum shouted.

"Hey, mind if we get to chatting later," Perditus cut off, "Right now, we have some bad guys up our rear end." He pointed to the Thornatus. "Come on and strap yourselves in. We'll grab Axel and Ackar on the way!"

The trio battle oncoming warriors as they reached for the vehicle that would lead to salvation. They made it, Perditus taking the pilot's seat, Cortesius in his lap, and Malum on the tail end of the Thornatus. Perditus plowed his foot onto the accelerator and drove off around the citadel to retrieve the last two members of the team.

Certavus was in a saber lock with Ackar. The two were evenly matched, both being warriors, commanders, and veterans. But one was somewhat hot tempered, the other cool and collected. Certavus was intrigued by Ackar. Since the Wars began, he was a bit of a rookie and somewhat brash. He made mistakes that later on directed his life. Now Ackar was a leader, a mentor, and someone who you wanted at your side in a tight situation.

It was a worthy trait respected deeply by Certavus.

"You are a proud warrior." Certavus grunted under the strain of clashing swords. He pressed his weight into Ackar and removed his sword from Ackar's. He then twirled his in a reverse grip and swung it at the commander. Ackar blocked it and again delayed themselves in another lock. Certavus continued, "You are a respectable warrior, but this is my land. That is our treasure you attempt to steal." Ackar pushed Certavus back and squatted to aim a blow at the leader's legs. The Ice warrior leapt and landed behind the Fire warrior. Certavus then aimed his sword at Ackar's neck. Ackar fell on his back and blocked the decapitating blow.

"Stand down, cousin," Ackar warned, "Your life will be spared if you cease this conflict."

"I'm sorry." Certavus said. He was sorry to a point. He wished that he could just walk away now and end this useless banter of a war. But orders were orders, and the Ice Lord was in command of the Ice Tribe, not Certavus.

Certavus lifted his sword again. He was about to swing it down upon Ackar when Axel came from nowhere and slammed into Certavus. The Ice warrior was bewildered for a few moments, dazed by the impact of Axel's charge.

He lay there as he heard a vehicle pull up to the two warriors of fire. He heard a voice say, "Hop on!" followed by Ackar's confounded question "Perditus?" There was a brief argument between the few as Certavus slowly got to his feet.

Axel nailed him in the abdomen with his foot, grabbed Ackar, and both leapt onto the black and yellow Thornatus. Certavus watched in disbelief as the vehicle zoomed off into the darkness of the desert. Again, Certavus got to his feet, clutching his abdomen, and one of the nearby unwounded warriors threw a helping hand around his shoulder.

"Are you okay, sir?"

"Yes, Gelu," Certavus said, "I'm fine. Puzzled, but fine." He took a few moments to regain his composure. He looked at Gelu. "Where is Surel?"

"His leg is torn up. Got injured by Malum."

"And Spike?"

"Gone. Neck popped by the chakram man."

"Pity. He was a good advisor and partner, but I think he was a bit of a backstabber," commented Certavus. He looked away from Gelu and waved him off. As Gelu walked off to tend to Surel, Certavus stood with his arms behind his back and pondered. Ackar, as he mentioned, was a respectable fighter. Malum was corrupt and close to darkness. The Vorox and the Bone Hunter were working for personal profit. The Agori was a skilled combatant. But Axel, the one with the chakrams, was a mysterious one indeed. He seemed to be familiar, and it wasn't because of the weapons, the helmet, or the phrase "Got it memorized?", but it wasn't on the spot.

Certavus took a deep inhale and casually walked back to his chambers to meditate on the recent events.

**Fire Tribe Camp - Night**

Perditus took a swig of the Thornax cider and passed it to Axel. "Now that," the pilot commented, "was exhilarating."

Axel took his sip and passed it to Cortesius. "Funny, all you did was drive around like some manic rock steed. Still, you gave us one heck of a show."

"Definitely!" Cortesius said. He took a gulp of cider and gave the bottle to Ackar. "I owe you one for getting us out of there."

"Reckless, but I owe you my life, Perditus," said Ackar. Perditus looked slightly hurt, but still grinned. "I think you know what it takes to be a strong warrior. And maybe a hotshot, creative pilot."

"All I did was race in, extract you all, and then banged out."

"Indeed, but disobeying me and commencing a simple extraction was creative enough," Ackar teased, lightly fisting Perditus in the shoulder. He then took a swig of the cider.

"I didn't expect to see Spike," Axel commented, "Nice nickname, bad backstory."

"He was a student along with you and Certavus?" Ackar asked.

"Yeah. Had a friendship that eventually became a rivalry. Hated the guy. I wanted to kill him since we parted."

"Strange." Cortesius said.

"Eerie." Perditus added. There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Perditus broke the silence with a simple "lights out" call. Everyone except Ackar retreated to their hammocks and fell to sleep.

Ackar sat at the table and thought for some time. He felt some sorrow for Vorox and Bandit, but they wanted in for profit that only benefitted them. Also, Perditus seemed like a good candidate for any upcoming mission. But what really got on Ackar's mind was Malum's approach to Surel. The fighter attacked a helpless warrior, injured him, and left him there suffering before trying to kill him.

_That will cost him someday_, he thought, _Attacking one who already conceded._

_(Cue Mantis Hymn from Metal Gear Solid)_

**COMING UP NEXT: CALM BEFORE THE STORM**


	2. Calm Before the Storm

**THE CORE WAR II: Calm Before The Storm**

**Ice Tribe Outpost – The Following Morning**

Certavus paced his inner chambers, hands behind his back and contemplating recent events dealing with Ackar's strike force the previous night. From what he could assume, the commander of the Ice Tribe division believed Ackar attempted to bring down the Ice Tribe and take over the ancient Citadel they resided in with a miniscule amount of troops. Six soldiers to be exact. Well, seven, if one counted the reckless hotshot pilot of the Thornatus that took out some of the defenders.

In the midst of that encounter, Certavus's lieutenant, Spike, had been cut down by a Glatorian wielding chakrams. Along with him, his apprentice Surel was severely injured by a heavyset Glatorian whom Certavus identified as Malum. Two powerful figures in the Ice Lord's Army have been removed from play, making the war more difficult for the Ice Tribe.

_How am I to turn the tide of war to our end?_ thought Certavus, _They know our forces have been weakened greatly from last night's skirmish and they _will _strike again._

He then spoke out loud to himself, "Perhaps an action-reaction method. If they strike with such secrecy and minimal amount of force, then our troops should make use of similar tactics." Certavus stroked his chin and imagined whatever possible methods could be executed.

**Fire Tribe Camp – Morning**

Ackar, Axel, and Perditus stood with their hands behind their backs and heads bowed before two makeshift tombstones. These twin stones were erected for those who had fallen the night before, Bandit the Bone Hunter and the nomad Vorox.

Before the quiet ceremony, a few members of the Ice Tribe had come in peace and brought back the bodies of mercenaries slain the night before. They carried the bodies in woven baskets shrouded in white cloth as a symbol of neutrality to the Fire Tribe. Once the escort left, Ackar and the others dug graves for Bandit and Vorox, erecting the tombstones thereafter.

Ackar recited a passage from the manuscript in his palm. "Today is a day for mourning, and a day for rejoicing. T'is a day when one's duty on this world has been accomplished and it is time for him to leave. Yet t'is also a day when he is brought into the next life to live an eternal life in peace and security.

"Let us remember what deeds were done that made Bandit and Vorox worthy of mentioning." The trio bowed their heads still, lamenting silently through the mind.

Crotesius rolled out from under Perditus's Thornatus and held out a hand to Kyry. "Could you hand me the ratchet?" he asked.

Kyry wasn't listening. The yellow-and-red Agori was mending several dents in his helmet with a small hammer. The task alone was enough to keep Kyry preoccupied and oblivious to his surroundings. It was like a woman's natural instinct with cooking; Kyry tapped the dent's bulge and examined and did so again if not to his liking.

"Kyry," Crotesius called out again, "Could you please hand me the ratchet next to your foot?" Again, no response. He just kept dinging away at his helmet. Crotesius became agitated and gave a shrill whistle.

"Gah!" cried out Kyry, spooked from the sudden whitsle. He dropped his helmet and hammer and swiftly shifted to the mechanic. Crotesius waved at Kyry humorously in a mock hello and pointed again to the tool he requested for twice. The latter turned, grabbed the ratchet, and handed it to the former.

"Imagine yourself if this was an ambush," Crotesius said as he rolled back under the Thornatus.

"Yeah," agreed Kyry, "I really need to focus less on the task at hand. You hear about the volunteers?"

Crotesius looked from under the vehicle. "The nomad and the bone hunter? Yeah, but they did their job for money, not for our sake." He continued patching up the Thornatus's underside. "Perditus sure did a number on this one. I can't stand people who help only for their benefit. We have a word for such people."

Kyry had resumed his project as he spoke. "Phonies?" Crotesius nodded.

"I hope we don't have to deal with anymore phonies. It's just not good business for neither them nor anyone else."

Malum scaled the cliff several thousand meters outside the camp. It was grueling, clinging onto hot rocks that singed you hands and made you lose your grip if you weren't careful. At least it was maybe seven meters high, give or take.

The squat warrior wasn't fond of burials. It wasn't because it was a depressing event or anything similar, but more because he really couldn't show much emotion. He was a rebel, a loner by nature, never tending to talk with his fellow warriors often. The only time Malum ever spoke was when a higher officer, such as Ackar, was speaking only to him.

The Bone Hunter and the Sand Tribe nomad had no connection to him. So he had no reason to attend the burial.

He pulled himself over the edge of the cliff and got his bearings. The red-and-orange Glatorian looked out into the mid-morning sky. From this vantage point, Malum could see much of the landscape. He could see the rest of the mountains to his left and the desert to his right. Straight ahead, a little line protruded from the sand.

The citadel.

_They think they can sit in their spire, cradled in its walls without fear_, Malum thought, _Overconfidence will be their undoing. It will be ours for the taking, and they will shudder at our might._

The squat Glatorian smirked. Ice types could be so prideful. That was the source of their weakness: pride. They think they could overcome anything, especially with Certavus as their leading commander. Malum begged to differ; his injured leg, which only possessed a dull ache now, had done nothing to slow Malum down last night. Ice Tribe warriors would rather retreat after receiving a non-fatal injury.

"Enough of them," he told himself, "just relax and stand guard." So Malum stood and did just that, watching over his fellow warriors like a hawk.

_(Cue A Day In Agrabah from Kingdom Hearts II)_

**NEXT: BACKSTABBER**


	3. Backstabber

**THE CORE WAR III: Backstabber**

**Fire Tribe Camp – Afternoon**

It had been almost a full day since the failed attack on the Ice Tribe citadel by the Fire Tribe. The two volunteers, a bone hunter and a nomadic member of the Sand Tribe, had perished in the onslaught. Axel, the Fire Glatorian with a fetish for chakrams, had encountered a being from his past and killed him for reasons left ambiguous to Ackar and his fellow warriors. It was a rough night that would indeed live on through the hearts of the participants.

A burial was commenced earlier that morning for the volunteers, with Perditus, Axel, and Ackar the only attendees. They would later find out the rest of the tribe, particularly Crotesius, had no respect for the dead combatants due to their reasons for joining the tribe; Bandit had joined for monetary profit and supplies for his clan of bone hunters, while Vorox had merged within the ranks for a taste of war, not caring which side offered him a position.

So Ackar, Axel, and Perditus left Kyry and Crotesius to finish repairs on the latter's Thornatus vehicle, which had suffered damaged in the previous night's skirmish. They walked through the sand to the mess tent, where the other members of the Fire Tribe ate and conversed in safety. Axel read the sign posted at the entrance:

ROASTED SAND BAT WITH CORN AND THORNAX JUICE

Axel voiced his displeasure. "Do we eat anything other than sand bat around here?"

"Food is hard to come by during these times, Axel," replied Perditus, "Personally, I would enjoy this more than the alternative."

Axel's curiosity gripped him. The Glatorian was a fairly recent newcomer to the Fire Tribe, so he had yet to experience the variety of routines the veterans engaged in, including the various meals. So far, Axel only had sand bat meat boiled, baked, broiled, sautéed, and possibly every other form of cooking imaginable … with one type of meat. The chakram man asked, "What else can I eat?"

"Thornax stew."

"Point taken, Perditus."

The trio entered the mess tent and grabbed their rations, then sat down at a table with Malum and the Agori Raanu. For the first few minutes, the group ate quietly, savoring the taste of the roasted sand bat, the aroma of sweetened corn, and the artificial flavor of the Thornax juice. It was when Axel departed from the mess tent did Perditus break the silence.

"So, why did he do it?" he asked his comrades.

"What?" said Ackar.

"Why did Axel kill that Spike character? And it isn't because they were in the middle of a battle."

Ackar looked at Malum. Malum glared back. The two obviously knew something about the Glatorian, but either was fairly reluctant to give any information away. Ackar made a gesture with his hand, motioning for Malum to talk. The latter nodded a 'no' in defense. The two exchanged several awkward gestures in a silent argument, one attempting to convince the other to unveil the truth behind Axel's shady relationship with Spike.

Raanu took this as a good moment to leave the table before forced involvement was to be put upon him. As for Perditus, he was clearly confuzzled why Axel's origins seemed to be of major concern to two of his superiors.

Finally, Ackar gave in and turned to Perditus, sighing in defeat. "Fine then," he began, "You know Axel is not originally from the Fire Tribe, right?" Perditus shook his head to say he didn't. "Some time before the beginning of this war, Axel was of the Ice Tribe. His real name was Lea.

"Lea …" Perditus pondered, "So Axel is simply an anagram of his original name."

"Correct." Malum said.

Ackar continued his tale. "Lea was one of the Ice Tribe's finest combatants and one of the higher Glatorian in status. One of his rivals in the niche was the one we know as Spike. Now Spike was a good friend to him as well. They were like brothers.

"All of that changed, though, when the silver liquid everyone obsesses about nowadays came to the surface. Spike wanted to fight on the Ice Tribe's behalf to obtain control of the substance. Meanwhile, Lea had no interest whatsoever. These differing opinions eventually widened a rift between the two, to the point where Lea decided to convert to our faction." Ackar finished the last of his thornax juice before he continued. It was hard to speak for an extended period of time in this parched atmosphere.

"The night Lea attempted to desert, Spike confronted him to think otherwise, but the former's will to leave was concrete. The two engaged in combat, where Lea was the victor and departed.

"They would encounter one another a few times before our recent skirmish, apparently still hostile to either."

Perditus's mind attempted to wrapp around the story. So this Lea character, the Axel everyone knew, was a traitorous Ice Tribe warrior who shared a strong bond with a friend; now they were rivals and enemies. Or at least, they were until last night. The pilot wondered how things would have turned out if they hadn't differed on their views of the silver substance everyone was fighting over.

"So, what happened to Spike?"

Malum answered the question. "He was Certavus's right hand man in the Ice Tribe army until Axel killed him."

Silence descended over the table as the other warriors and Agori continued to feast on lunch. Perditus was till curious about Axel's past. What else was there that drove them to hate one another? There had to be some other reason than their opinions of the war. Perditus decided to leave the table and find more answers to this mystery.

That left Ackar and Malum and the table. Again, silence descended over the table for a few minutes, until Malum broke the unsettling air. "I have to visit a friend in the medic's tent. Want to come along?"

Ackar dismissed the offer. "No thank you. It'd be best for me to watch over Perditus, now that he has knowledge of Lea's origins. You know how curiosity gets the better of him."

**Fire Tribe Camp – Dusk**

Axel stood at the edge of the camp, gazing out into the night sky. It was a clear, starry evening and there was a full moon radiating its gentle light into the grand expanse of desert wasteland. Not exactly the best place for sightseeing, but it was a peaceful night to reflect on recent events.

The chakram man twirled one of his spiked weapons around his arm like a bored Agori twirling a hula hoop. The fire warrior thought about the skirmish of the night before, and the encounter he had with an old friend. To the other Glatorian, he was known as Spike.

Axel, or Lea, knew his true name. It was Jaaden.

Jaaden died at the hands of Lea that night, on the sands surrounding the citadel the Ice Tribe had occupied. It was a pain for Lea to know he had killed his friend and rival on orders, but it was only for the best of the tribe and for the general good of the people.

Lea heard a set of footsteps behind him. He held one of his chakrams out like a shield, while holding the other at his side. Through the darkness of the camp, Lea could see it was Perditus, the pilot. The Glatorian lowered his arms.

"I almost implanted this in your chest," he said, grinning.

Perditus almost replied with a medical joke to compliment, but the pilot failed to present one. Rather, he strolled over next to Lea. Perditus looked at his acquaintance; his black and red armor had seen a lot of action since its owner's recent recruitment into the Fire Tribe.

"So, how has your day gone?" Lea asked Perditus as the former turned his gaze back to the perpetual masterpiece of the slumbering heavens.

"Fine," the pilot answered with an edginess to his voice. Lea took notice of it, "Nothing really to talk about except war and the repairs one my Thornatus."

"What's on your mind?" Lea laid a hand on his companion's shoulder. "Obviously something is biting you with the force of a rock steed."

At first, Perditus just kept silent. _Stop being so loud, flyboy,_ Lea thought mockingly. It was a few long moments before the pilot spoke up.

"What's your opinion on that Spike character you fought last night?"

_What?_ Axel questioned mentally. "Well, I obviously didn't like him if I killed him."

"I heard you were friends with him before the war," said Perditus. Lea shifted into 'caution mode'. "Besides the silver substance, why were you two so hostile to one another?"

_How does he know this? Damnit, Ackar! I knew you couldn't be trusted._ Lea knew where this was going. One way or another, Perditus was going to find out. Might as well break it to him. "It's all a ruse."

"Excuse me?" Perditus questioned. Lea dove for the pilot and grabbed his throat. Perditus fought back by kicking his assailant in the abdomen, then in the groin. Lea shook it off and executed a complicated action once the pilot was back on his feet. With a series of impacts to the chest via quick hands, Perditus collapsed. Lea caught his unconscious form and scanned the area.

Nobody was aware of the struggle. _Good_. With impressive stealth, Lea bounded away from the camp, Perditus in tow, and ran off towards a destination everyone knew of, but only he had a logical reason to depart to.

Ackar and Davson watched from a dune as the traitor whisked away with Perditus to the Citadel. Davson, a red and silver Glatorian, turned to Ackar. "What do we do now?" he asked.

Ackar was silent. He had witnessed a kidnapping and a soldier committing treason. Obviously the two couldn't catch up with Lea right now; the warrior was heading straight into enemy territory. This had to be dealt with numbers and brute force. Kill two sand bats with one stone.

"The Fire Tribe," Ackar began, "will attack tomorrow. We will storm their fortress, rescue Perditus, and capture the fortress. And Lea will pay the price for his crimes." With that, a burning desire ignited in Ackar's heart.

Lea kidnapped the pilot. The pilot was like a son to Ackar. Ackar would kill the traitor. As they said, what goes around comes around.

"Davson, gather Malum and the others. We need to prepare for tonight's assault."

_(Cue Alien Forces from Half-Life: Opposing Force)_

**TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER FOUR!**


	4. Prelude Finale

**THE CORE WAR IV: Finale Prelude**

**Ice Tribe Fortress – Night**

Axel burst through the doors of the meeting chamber, dragging a limp Perditus by the left foot. All present upon his entry whirled at the intrusion, including Certavus, Gelu, a few warriors, and several Agori. Some were cautious with a member of the Fire Tribe in their midst, others simply ignorant of the temporary distraction.

Certavus stood up from his chair and walked to Axel, pleased.

"Here you are, General," Axel said, tossing the limp Perditus with minimal effort.

"Impressive, agent," said the Ice Tribe commander. He turned to the guards on either side of the chamber and motioned for them to remove the hostage. They complied, and as they committed their duty, Certavus laid a hand on Axel's shoulder. "I am pleased with your contributions to our forces. Your fee will be paid in full in soon." Axel smirked as the leader retracted his hand. "Our session will close in a few minutes."

Certavus shifted direction to his chair when Axel's hand came upon the former's shoulder. "I appreciate the reward, but I have other loose ends to tie up." The ice warrior turned, confused, and was sent hurtling into the crowd of Agori and warriors by a punch to his armored face.

Chaos ensued as guards aimed their crossbows at the offender. Axel smirked, showing feral whites. Certavus got to his feet quickly and brandished his grand blade. "In the name of-!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Certavus, but my employers had the higher bidder," said the fire warrior. "And by the way, my name isn't Axel." He raised his hand beyond the front of his body. "And it's not Lea either. Those were bogus identities." The warrior summoned both chakrams in his one hand. Then they morphed into one, large shuriken, all black with red tips. Axel smirked once more. "I'm a product of avarice, the desire to become a more perfect being since my people were exiled!

Certavus was still stunned at the past several seconds that had transpired. The last statement had caught him off guard the most. "You're of the Iron Tribe!" The white-clad warrior poised himself into a defensive stance. _Who is he? What does he want from us? From _me_?_

"Bingo!" mocked the shuriken wielder. "Took ya a little while, didn't it?" Axel, whatever his name was, then widened his eyes as if he forgot something. "Oh, I never told you my true name, did I?" He casually twirled the spiked disc around his finger as he stood with a hand on his hip. "It's Feiron." Feiron aimed a finger at his temple. "Got it memorized?"

With that, the bright red of his armor faded to a dull orange.

Certavus had enough. "Slot him!" The guards complied and unleashed a barrage of arrows and bolts at the traitorous iron welder.

Feiron dodged the lethal projectiles by running at an alarming speed, a pace that left after-images of the character behind him. The Iron warrior ran circles around Certavus, who was in the center of the room. With every few seconds, one or two of the bodyguards would be cut down in varying fashions.

Within thirty seconds, the only living beings in the assembly room were the assassin and the leader of the Ice Tribe. The latter's face twisted into a snarl, one that failed to instill fear into his adversary.

_What _is_ he?_ Certavus asked himself. _How does he have these unnatural abilities?_ He charged, Feiron dodged to the left, and Certavus followed with a slash in that direction. The warrior of the Iron Tribe tumbled back and rolled up to the curved window that took up an entire wall. He then made a 'come hither' gesture.

Certavus glared. He relaxed with a slow exhale, letting his sword fall to his side. He saw Feiron's brow rise in bewilderment and he let down his guard as well.

"What do you want from me?" Certavus yelled. "What could you possibly win through killing me?"

"Why would I tell you? That'll only take the fun out of this." Feiron sighed, his malevolent grin turning into a frown. "But if you must know, I only want to kill you to put the Ice Tribe in disarray." The warrior charged at Certavus at supersonic speed and rammed him through the doors of the gathering room. The leader of the Ice Tribe collided with the wall and slumped to the ground, stunned and leaving a crack in the wall.

"But I don't play favorites," Feiron continued, "The other leaders will be eliminated as well." He knelt down and lifted Certavus's lolling head up with two fingers. Red eyes looked down into blue ones. My brethren have been left to rot in the wilderness because of your prejudice. Rather than give us a helping hand, you and the rest of civilization forced us to go into hiding and survive!" Feiron released his supporting hand and back-handed the leader of the Ice Tribe with its counterpart. "And for what? An illness that probably never existed!"

"We … we had our reasons," breathed Certavus. He tried to stand upright, but the shock from the collision left him weak. His body hurt, his mind still foggy, Certavus simply lay against the wall, looking into the eyes of his assailant.

In those eyes were flames that held desire, the determination to set things right for Feiron's people. But they also had the look of a being whose sanity had been lost due to unknown forces. This Glatorian was troubled, and needed help.

Help for this poor creature seemed next-to-impossible at the moment. And help for Certavus himself was just as scarce.

Feiron grabbed Certavus by the throat one-handed and brought him helmet-to-helmet. "I'm sure those were legitimate reasons, Popsicle." A shuriken came into the white-clad Glatorian's vision.

_This is it. I die here_, Certavus thought, _Gelu, lead our people to the best of your abilities._

_DONK!_

Feiron's grip on the Ice Tribe commander slackened, releasing the latter. Another moment passed with Feiron standing dazed in the hallway until he collapsed into an unconscious heap. Perditus stood behind the limp body, breathing heavily with a crowbar held up to strike again.

Certavus stood up against the wall, heaving as he took in the sudden change in battle. He looked at Feiron's form lying still on the stone floor, then up at the relaxing Perditus. Certavus was confused; this stranger, let alone one of the Fire Tribe, saved the leader of his enemies? Even as a prisoner, this warrior lent a hand to his captors?

_Brave lad_.

"Are you alright, Certavus?" asked Perditus, holding out his hand. The Ice tribe leader took it.

"I am." Certavus dusted himself off and retrieved his sword. He held it in a firm grip as he headed for the stairwell. He had only gone a few meters when Perditus's voice called out to him.

"You're not going to kill me?" asked the pilot.

"I don't eliminate my prisoners." Certavus replied as he turned. His ice blue eyes made contact with the youth's. "Besides, wouldn't you consider this my token of gratitude?" He paused to let the pilot absorb the message. "I suggest you make use of it."

Certavus observed Perditus walk and shed the distance between the pair. When the latter spoke, his voice possessed strength. "There is more you should tell me about this assassin." He gestured to Feiron, still out cold. "I've heard varied rumors about him. Some say he's a bounty hunter, other's say he's a defector from my Tribe."

Certavus raised a brow. "How could you know any of this if you were incapacitated?"

"I was fading in and out of reality, sir." Perditus continued. "But please, tell me the truth. I want to know what he is. And why there is a bounty on my head." His voice sounded almost pleading with that strength it always held.

The leader of the Ice Tribe army laid a hand on the pilot's shoulder. "I would tell you, but I can't."

Perditus's eyes widened. "W-Why?"

"Because I think I should finish the story myself, hotrod." Feiron chimed from behind. Certavus pulled Perditus with almost enough force to make him lose his balance as they ran down the stone hallway.

Behind them, Feiron mockingly added, "What? Don't care for story time anymore?" he laughed manically as he casually walked after the two warriors.

_(Cue Gulp's Overlook from Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage/Gateway to Glimmer)_

**CHAPTER 5 COMING SOON!**


	5. Revelation

_As you may have noticed, I did a re-edit on the chapters to fix some grammatical, spelling and plot errors. The previous comments are gone because I had to reupload the chapters. Big mistake, but oh well. __For staff reading this, disclaimer applies to all chapters. Just making sure.  
By the way, brownie points if you can find the Portal 2 nod. Have fun reading!  
_

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******THE CORE WAR V: Revelation**

**Ice Tribe Fortress – Night**

Feiron kept following the two soldiers at a casual pace, shuriken in hand. Down the spiraling stairway he went, tossing an occasional fireball or shadow bolt whenever he caught sight of the pilot and the leader. And every time he pushed them on with these threatening actions, the ironsmith laughed and maniacal laugh.

"That's right, run!" he yelled at them when they reached the next floor below. "But I'll always be right behind you!" Feiron stopped as soon as he entered the room. He gaped. He had never been in this section of the Ice Tribe's citadel the last time he had business with said faction. Besides the usual bland grey stone and the large banner displaying the symbol of the Ice Tribe, the room was filled with benches and boxes.

Feiron walked further into the room and noticed a change in floor texture. He looked down. This area of the floor had boundaries crisscrossing to and fro. Then he shifted his gaze back up and to the closer wall on his left. Stacks of target dummies and silhouettes lined the wall, all in varying states of disrepair. Some looked fairly new and unused, while others seemed brittle, old, and missed several limbs.

_I guess this is the training room_, Feiron thought, _Better keep my guard up. I heard too much about ambushes in these places_.

The orange-hued warrior cautiously searched the large room, making sure to divert some of his focus to his hearing. He couldn't be too careless with leaving his back exposed. It was a risk he'd rather not exploit.

The sound of metal grinding metal and stone reached Feiron's ears. He whirled and saw several segments of armor collapse onto the floor. He smirked.

"Nice trick." Feiron shot several bolts of shadow within the perimeter of the fallen armor. The black-and-violet streams of energy dispersed in every direction possibly imagined, scattering about varying items on impact. Several manikins standing proud with their spears, swords, axes, bows, and shields toppled due to one of the bolts.

Behind them were the battle-ready Certavus and Perditus.

"Not good enough, though." Feiron mocked. He crossed his arms, shuriken dangling from his index finger. "Now before we play another game of 'cat and mouse', I think I should tell you my story."

"We assumed we already knew," said Certavus, his tone dark, "but it seems our version lacks the truth."

"That's 'cause I lied." Feiron replied. "I didn't want anyone having second thoughts about me if I told them of who I really was, especially being Iron Tribe."

Perditus lost it. "Then tell us what happened!"

The Iron Tribe exile gestured for the pilot to calm down. "Whoa there, Speed Racer, turn it down a notch." Feiron was about to sheath his shuriken, but he stopped himself. "You know what? I trust that you won't run out on me if I pull the veil off my backstory, right?"

Certavus put a clenched fist to his heart. "On a warrior's honor, we won't run if you don't harm us for the duration of you tale."

Feiron stored away his weapon. "So, you want to know who I am. Well, as you can see, I'm of the Iron Tribe. I was miner, with a good home, good friends, and steady work. Life seemed like paradise up in the mountains. I thought it would never change."

His tone grew dark. "Everyone enjoys dreaming. It gives you a look at a life that may become a reality one day, or it's just a story to keep you content at night. Either way, the ability to dream was treasured. Then a few years ago, people started to not be able to dream. As you know, it supposedly became an epidemic, and those who had what you called a virus were exiled.

"I changed my armor color to make myself more discreet. After escaping the mountains with what I could carry, I came for help. Even with the disguise, you all treated me like dung!" Feiron summoned his shuriken in a blast of fire and unleashed a bolt of flame that almost incinerated Perditus's head. Certavus blacked the pilot from view.

"Honor you end of the bargain!" he commanded.

Feiron took a step back, breathing heavily, once he realized he left his anger unchecked. "My bad. I'll try to finish this without killing you." He again stored away his disked weapon. The warrior took a deep breath and exhaled, attempting to maintain his composure until the climax of the deal.

Wait. Why was he telling these two punks about his past? They already knew Feiron was a member of the Iron Tribe, but his intentions and how he became what he was now shouldn't really matter to the others. Should they?

Feiron pondered over the matter. It would probably be best to abort the operation, simply eliminate Certavus, and run off to find the other leaders. Hostages really didn't help, especially if they ended up tag-teaming with their enemies.

_Yeah,_ Feiron thought, _this didn't really didn't turn out too well. I should have killed him then and there, but … I lack the motivation. Did someone lace my thornax cider? Never mind, let's just get this over with._

"You know what? Forget it," said Feiron, "I'll just make this the part where I kill you." The Iron Tribe warrior lunged at Certavus and Perditus, cloaked in shadow and fists engulfed in fire.

On a hilltop overlooking the citadel, Ackar and the Fire Tribe Army stood and observed. Ackar was antsy attempting this. He was still exhausted from the raid a day or two ago, and he honestly didn't want to be the leader of this attack. But Malum had gone elsewhere, most likely rummaging around the land for supplies or, even more likely, had gone AWOL … again.

But beside the point, Ackar also hoped Davson arrived with the intelligence the former desired oh so much. It would be another stroke of bad luck if Davson was captured and held hostage. That would make the job more complicated.

"Anxious, sir?" asked a warrior.

"I am," replied the Fire Tribe leader, "and you?"

"Likewise."

"Good, then you will be ready for anything." Ackar heard footsteps in the sand. "Speaking of which, hide and prepare for an ambush," he commanded.

His army, which consisted of one hundred Glatorian and several dozen Agori, went prone on the coarse ground as commanded. Ackar strained see where the footsteps were coming from in the darkness. All he could see, sans the citadel, were the sand dunes, the rocky outcroppings, and nothing else.

"Commander?" a voice called out in a whisper, "Commander, it's me."

"Davson?" Ackar motioned for his men to stand. "What do you have?"

Davson appeared from under and around the hill, with another figure in tow. In the moonlight, the white-clad armor was unmistakable. The Fire Tribe commander was reaching for his sword when his subordinate stopped him.

"Don't worry, he's with us. Apparently the Ice Tribe is in deep rock steed dung at the moment."

"What do you mean?" asked an Agori.

The Ice Tribe Glatorian spoke up. "I think I should give you the details." He gestured to himself. "By the way, I'm Gelu."

Ackar stepped forward. "Ackar."

The two shook hands, signaling a halt to hostilities. Gelu then spoke again, "Now, I have to make this straightforward; we don't have much time with that Iron Tribe scum running rampant. Axel, or Lea, is really a former miner named Feiron. After the Iron tribe epidemic, he went rogue and attempted to make a living. So he disguised himself as a member of different Tribes. Several failures later, he ended up as a double agent between you and us. But he didn't join to simply live a better life. No, he wants to eliminate the leaders of the tribes to leave them vulnerable."

"What does he plan to do?" Kyry asked. This was getting intense.

"Once he kills every leader, a hidden army will wipe out the tribes. This army consists of Iron Tribe and Bone Hunters, along with an undeterminable amount of traitors." Gelu gestured to the mountains. "They'll be attacking from the range once he notifies them."

Ackar eyes Gelu suspiciously. How did this character garner some much out of the agent? "How do you know of all this?"

"When he arrived, Feiron and I had a little talk before he delivered his hostage. I spiked his thornax cider with a concoction that should limit his self-control for at least a few hours. To be honest, I never trusted him." Gelu paused, Ackar assuming he was calculating how much time had passed. "So far, it's been about an hour. He should be out of his prime state for the time being."

_This is it_, Ackar thought, _we finally bring down that monster._

"Gelu, alert you army and tell them-." Ackar paused. This was risky, but it was probably the only card they could play. "Tell your men we'll assist them. Have them improve the defensive perimeter and prepare for a third-party invasion."

"Yes sir." Gelu ran off into the darkness of the desert, leaving behind his Fire Tribe allies. Davson faced his commander, obviously unsure of what's going on.

"What are our orders?"

Ackar rubbed his temple. This was day just seemed to get even more uneventful with every passing hour. Another army waiting to ambush the Ice Tribe, then them? Feiron obviously had gone mad with revenge.

"Davson, take a squad and follow Gelu. Escort him to the citadel and make sure he isn't killed. The rest of you," Ackar raised his voice, "will follow at my signal."

_(Cue Menu Theme from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare)_

**TO BE CONCLUDED IN CAHTPER SIX: THREE'S A CROWD  
**

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_A/N: The final chapter will be pretty good, though that may take a little more time that two weeks, so bare with me. Oh, almost forgot: Davson is a nod to David Song, LEGO Mag Glatorian Building Contest winner. Don't forget to post comments, criticisms, queries, etc. And remember: Stay clean, stay straight, stay awesome! 062111_


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